“Investing in our public sector for the benefit of the many, not the few”

This letter sent to the Star was written by Councillor Peter Price, Shiregreen/Brightside
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You can always tell when we are getting near to the local elections when someone will raise the World Student Games and our decision to invest in sporting and cultural infrastructures, to attack myself and the Labour council.

Well Mr Steve Bell, it was more than 30 years ago when we took that courageous decision and made that investment, a decision which transformed Sheffield from an industrial wasteland into an exciting modern city which is still the envy of many cities and the cost of the event was covered from reserves way back in 1993.

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However, It gave us the much-loved Lyceum Theatre and magnificent Sheffield Arena and Ponds Forge International Centre, the Don Valley Stadium, now the superb Olympic Legacy park, the Hillsborough Leisure Centre and the Graves Tennis Centre, Concord Park floodlit all-weather pitches and the extension to Waltheof School Sports Hall.

The opening ceremony of the World Student Games at the Don Valley Stadium. The opening ceremony of the World Student Games at the Don Valley Stadium.
The opening ceremony of the World Student Games at the Don Valley Stadium.

All this led to Sheffield being awarded the title of Britain’s first National City of Sport and the site for the English Institute for Sport and the national ice dance centre, both externally funded.

I don’t think that was “a ridiculous decision made by Labour”, Mr Bell.I think it was visionary and one which transformed our city and made it into a major tourist destination, a destination for many major events and a big attraction for students, many from overseas, also a city attracting private inward investment including more than 20 new hotels built since 1991.

What a sad place Sheffield would now be without that investment.Just to correct another error in your letter Mr Bell, Labour did not give up its subsidy of public transport to fund this investment.

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The South Yorkshire County Council (not Sheffield Council) was putting in £60 million per annum of subsidy for the cheap bus fares policy, when the Conservative Government forced them to privatise the service and deregulate it, which has led to its sad demise today.

For your information Mr Bell, I fully supported the county council’s decision to subsidise our public transport, just as I supported the investment in our sporting and cultural facilities for Sheffield people to use and enjoy and as a long-standing member of the Labour Party, strongly believe in investing in our public sector for the benefit of the many, not the few.

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